Maybe this is one of those 'lost-in-translation' situations. I took/take the opposite view:

Referring to "mainland China" implies there is another 'China' which is NOT 'mainland', and given the context (ie Taiwan classrooms) that implies Taiwan is another 'China'. So when I first started the piece, I was assuming the reverse of what was revealed. I was assuming that the objection to the formulation "mainland China" was based on it being too anti-Beijing, too separationist for the protestors. Instead, the piece indicated the reverse. Very confusing!

12:06 am February 6, 2014

hay stupid WSJ wrote:

For most Chinese, regardless of where they are from, there is the Chinese mainland, and then there are the little offshoots, like Taiwan, HK and Macao. So this is no big deal. In fact, to have the mainland stated this way implies that we are all part of this great Chinese family, which is a very nice and peaceful notion. Why should Chinese fight each other? They should unite and then take on the west. In unity, China can beat anyone.

12:19 am February 6, 2014

abdul rahimov wrote:

speak for yourself, 'hay stupid wsj.'

they fight beijing b/c they would rather not have their lives depend on its corrupt idea of governance. where are YOU posting from, china? i doubt it.

1:22 am February 6, 2014

Anonymous wrote:

who is changing the history?

roc constitutions define mainland china and taiwan province.

roc define those people reside in taiwan province as Chinese national like those people who reside in mainland.

there was no such term "taiwanese "inside the constitution.

2:16 am February 6, 2014

Anonymous wrote:

I also understood it to mean there is mainland China and then other islands that also are part of China. I guess I understand the outrage considering there are also peace talks beginning between the two. However, it seems past the point of no return for Taiwan to become usurped by China at this point, from the point of view of a ignorant westerner. Culturally they seem non-compatible.

3:21 am February 6, 2014

H Grabois wrote:

However, it seems past the point of no return for Taiwan to become usurped by China at this point, from the point of view of a ignorant westerner. Culturally they seem non-compatible.
==============================================================
And how about from the point of view of the non-ignorant westerner? Or of the Chinese themselves?
Do they ONLY 'seem' non-compatible?

And I don't see how citing the Taiwanese constitution settles anything.
This is the problem that won't go away, and 'papering over' the fact that Taiwan will accede to closer ties with the mainland but only up to a point, has led to further quibbling about language.

3:27 am February 6, 2014

Anonymous wrote:

Well, I may not be native to either china or taiwan, but I am american and I am pretty sure that our national interest lies in the independence of Taiwan. Not to mention the National interest of Japan. Sooooo in reality the Chinese don't really have any choice in the matter atleast for the next 50 years or so....

put that in your pipe and smoke it

8:21 am February 6, 2014

Free Tibet wrote:

Free Taiwan!

9:13 am February 6, 2014

Line in the Sand wrote:

If Taiwan cannot differentiate Mainland China in its history books it is really powerless. That changes is nothing compared to the history written in China and Japan. I am Chinese and our history books tell complete nonsense that makes China look great and USA and the rest of the world look pathetic. Our history books says China, not USA, defeated Japan. That of course is B.S. but I believed it growing up because it was in our books.

9:17 am February 6, 2014

Greed wrote:

Remain Status Quo

9:42 am February 6, 2014

Matt wrote:

I see the parallels in the past, specifically in the pre-WWII scenario of Europe in 1938: between fascist Nazi Germany and democratic Czechoslovakia or Switzerland. And I wonder, what will happen. Will fascist China treat democratic and independent Taiwan like Czechoslovakia or like Switzerland? History repeats itself, first as tragedy than as farce...

10:21 am February 6, 2014

Anonymous wrote:

@Matt

What a leap of logic !! Taiwan exists today like a tributary state of the US (if not also of Japan). Every year it has to pay $6 B in military "purchases" of obsolete weapons, whether it deems nationally necessary or not. Its dependence on the American market is froth with danger -- as one recalls the event in 2009, Quarter III -- when the credit market in the US froze up, causing Taiwan exports to drop free fall by 40% bec American buyers couldn't get LCs approved from collapsing US bank credit. Taiwan's industry is too reliant on merely subcontracting for American MNCs, and not truly a geniune product competitor on the world mkt w/ their own brands. A whole class of professionals ie advertising creative artists, pyschologists, statisticians, comp graphics, etc. are thus not employed by Taiwanese companies, missing out on many potentially good high end jobs..

10:24 am February 6, 2014

jj wrote:

Taiwan i snot recognized as a autonomous country by most including USA..........PERIOD

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none; commercial and cultural relations with the people in the United States are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO), a private nonprofit corporation that performs citizen and consular services similar to those at diplomatic posts

10:27 am February 6, 2014

Siloo wrote:

Isn't it like Americanos in Hawaii calling the rest of USA "the mainland?"Silly!

His daughters, Lesley Weichung and Kelly Yuan-chung, are both known to receive indelible compensations by their employer, Cai Guo Qiang , an officially PRC-sanctioned artist and chief firework architect at the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, which is a few days after Ma's daughter assumed apprenticeship. 1 of her known registered address includes 651 E 14th St NY, NY 10009, estimated at ~US $33 million (2011) according to zillow.com. Her boss made at least NT$200million (~US$70million) from 2 fireworks, 1 of which Ma presided over, the 101 Firework, cost NT$60 million, twice as much as the same one held next year. Her marriage to son of high ranking Party official, a model-turned-banker Tsai Pei-Jan (or Cai Peiran or Allen Tsai or Allen Cai or...), with at least 2 passports and 1 Hong Kong permanent residency, to JP Morgan Chase, the financier of Enron and WorldCom, whose Hong Kong branch is known for harboring children of the former head of the China Railway Group, Liu Zhijun, indicted by Chinese authorities for theft of RMB$180 billion (~US$30billion). Note her US Citizenship may be revoked due to falsification on her birth certificate.

1:25 pm February 6, 2014

Matt wrote:

@Anonymous:
Thank you very much. I am following your logic to the end ... and beyond: You should have finished mentioning the happy people of Tibet as a model for Taiwan's future. I am so sorry.

4:24 pm February 6, 2014

warren wrote:

i have a few thoughts.

firstly, the article mentioned that the people are increasingly divided. is this really true? not all the people in taiwan want to be divided. some may, but not all. and u can't even say most, probably.

secondly, the people there wants to be different from the mainland people, this is just human nature, because taiwan lived better lives after the civil war. when u drive a bmw, u want to be different from your neighbor who drives a honda. but if taiwan gets poorer, the taiwanese will want to hug the mainland, but that won't happen unless taiwan gets economic turmoil and gets poor. as long as the current economy grows, the perception won't change, even though many taiwanese work in mainland.

6:47 am February 7, 2014

Sean Su wrote:

Correction:

The signing of a trade pact three years ago, which lowered tariffs and removed investment barriers, has been a boon for [select] Taiwanese businesses. The Taiwanese economy has suffered a slowdown, lowering and reversing wages, along with longer working hours.

There's a reason why President Ma has a 9% approval rating.

5:28 am February 10, 2014

H Grabois wrote:

"Isn’t it like Americanos in Hawaii calling the rest of USA “the mainland?”Silly!"
==============================================================
Oh, I don't know. Hawaii is more or less sui generis: the only US state out in the middle of the Pacific ocean.
Or the only US state in a middle of ANY ocean. Furthermore, my impression is: it is exceptional in a number of ways: demographically, climate-wise etc. "The mainland" as an expression seems to convey much of the difference in a pithy way. I bet native Hawaiians use it, as well as newcomers to the state.

10:46 am February 12, 2014

China has a right to annex California wrote:

Just as Germany annexed Austria

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